Subtle impressions

[jdeacon]

By heck; the plasticine impressions made by a chubb 114 are a bit subtle.

I can't afford a pin-and-cam chubb 114 kit until I actually get a few paying jobs - newbie wannabe locksmith. But I've been reading up and thought I'd at least try a curtain breaker and an impression.

Looking at the back of the lever pack I thought it looked as though it was going to be fairly obvious. Of course the key blank only just reaches and the impressions are pretty subtle. Seems like you have to get the plasticine just right.

I'm off to swap my practice lock with the one in the front door. I guess that because my practice lock hasn't got any low lifts, so I'm only seeing the 'no mark' and the 'short mark' and no 'long mark's. From the look of the key, my front door chubb should have a low lift. (It'll be good for my ChrisB pick practice as well.)

I'm reluctant to break the curtain on the front door's lock. But what do people do in practice; leave the broken curtain - which seems to still work OK - or replace the curtain? You can't quite call it non-destructive if you've broken the curtain, can you?

[Bump]

You havent broken the curtain; just nibbled a bit off the back.

[ELC]

Why don't you swap the curtains ? Keep "the nibbled" curtain so you can practice on new locks but you just keep re-using it??? However the "e" series curtain is different...

[pinky]

one question on your reader key, have you cut the bolt section of the reader key off leaving just the part of the blade covering the 5 levers ? if not this will help you get more defined readings.

another is to ensure that the curtain is snipped 2 clicks, as often this is forgoten.

to be non destructive with the pin and cam and not bother with the impression nor snipping the curtain is easily done, just start readings from a 3 pin and work up and down the range, this way no damage is done to the curtain and it is fully NDE, and doesnt take any longer to decode the lock, in fact its often quicker on the 114E.

[jdeacon]

Ah. It had occured to me to thin down the impressioning side of the reader key so that it was easier to get a good bed of plasticine through the keyway.

It hadn't occured to me to remove the bolt section of the reader. I shall give both a go.

Presumably the plasticine is ordinary plasticine. It's just that in most of the pictures of this kind of kit, the plasticine is red. Is it special in any way?

[Chris B]

[pinky]

yes its standard plastercine.

the reader key should have the bolt section of the blade removed, and the blade should be thinned to approx 50%, allowing a good bed of plastercine.
You will therefore need 2 x reader keys, 1 for the left and one for the right of door dependent upon lock mounting.

[al25027]

I have noticed that on my p+c, that a couple of the the 'pin holes' have started to open up slightly. I've been using no more force when applying tension than i usually do. Anyone else noticed this?

[pinky]

this happens, its usualy a result of over tensioning, use more grease and should be ok, if too bad martin newton does repair them at a cost.